Kingdom Hearts III: Calling to the Night
by AKApolarbear
Summary: When Radiant Garden is attacked, Sora, Riku, and Kairi are called to help. However, their new enemies are far more dangerous than anything they have ever faced before. Will they prevail? Or will they fall to this new power? KH/Konami X-over
1. Chapter 1

**AN**: Alright, guys. Here's a little side-project of mine: my version of KH3. Now, my KH3 is going to have no BbS characters in it because my version of KH3 is probably the most far-away-from-canon version of a KH3 story you will ever read. Why? Because it has Konami in. Right now, the story is pretty innocent, but give it a few chapters and this story's rating with change to 'M'. If you don't want to read that, turn back now. For the rest of you who are still interested, well…read on.

**Disclaimer**: I don't own KH or any ideas I may borrow from Konami games. Those belong to Square-Enix and Konami respectively.

--

Chapter One 

"From the King?" Sora asked in confusion and urgency, taking the bottle from Kairi's hand and popping the cork off. He shook the bottle upside-down over his palm and the piece of paper with the King's seal fell into his hand. As he unrolled it, Riku and Kairi read over his shoulder.

_Sora, Riku, Kairi_

_By the time you read this, Donald and Goofy will already be en route to Destiny Islands. Radiant Garden is under attack from outsider forces. The attackers haven't been identified, but I have some of my best intelligence scouts on the job. Hurry!_

The only signature was the King's symbol printed on the bottom. Sora glanced at his two best friends, his sapphire eyes filled with worry.

"'Attack'? Does that mean the Nobodies and Heartless are still at large?" he asked. Riku shook his head as he reread the letter.

"No, I don't think so. Look. The King said that they're under attack from 'outside forces'. He also said that they 'haven't been identified'. That means this is a new enemy. One we haven't encountered yet." the silver haired boy replied, pointing to the said lines of the letter.

"So it's time for another adventure for you two?" Kairi asked, somewhat disappointed. Sora caught the sad tone in her voice and grinned.

"Nope. This time we're all going together!" he said. Kairi's eyes lit up.

"You promise?" she asked hopefully. Sora nodded.

"Yeah! This time nothing'll tear us apart!" he said, slinging his arms around Riku and Kairi's shoulders. Riku smirked and Kairi giggled at their friend's actions, but then all three glanced to the sky at the sound of a rocket engine.

"The gummi ship!" Sora called out. The side door of the colorful spaceship opened up and two very familiar faces popped out.

"Sora!" Donald and Goofy shouted from the aircraft. Sora grinned.

"Donald! Goofy!" he yelled up, waving to them. Riku's brow furrowed.

"Wait. If you two are there, who's piloting the ship?" he called up to them. Donald and Goofy froze before glancing at each other nervously.

"Uh-oh…" the muttered to each other, before the gummi ship crashed into the shallow part of the ocean.

"Guys!" Sora shouted, before jumping off of the play island and into the water. The gummi ship was unharmed, but that didn't change the fact that it had hit the ground hard. The duck and dog slowly pulled themselves out of the ship, groaning slightly. However, at the sight of Sora wading through the water towards them, they stood upright and ran forward to meet him. The two animals jumped up and tackled Sora into the water, laughing as they did. Sora joined in with their laughter, glad to see his old friends again.

"Guys! I missed you!" Sora said.

"Gawrsh, so did we, Sora!" Goofy chuckled.

"Hey!" Riku called to them. The trio looked to see the two islanders standing on the shore of the beach.

"I hate to interrupt your little reunion, but didn't the King's letter say to hurry?" Riku asked, slightly impatient.

"Oh, yeah…his letter did sound really urgent." Donald said. Sora glanced at him in confusion.

"'Letter'? You mean the King didn't tell you about the quest in person?" the spiky brunet asked.

"Nope. A few days ago, the King up an' left for no reason. He left Pluto a letter to give us, though. It said that we needed to come here an' get you three to take ya to Radiant Garden!" Goofy replied.

"So you guys don't know what's going on either?" Sora asked. Both Donald and Goofy shook their heads.

"Ah, well. Let's go! Radiant Garden's in trouble!" Sora said determinedly. Riku and Kairi walked out into the shallow water towards the gummi ship before climbing inside. They were followed by Sora, Donald, and Goofy. Donald climbed into the pilot seat and buckled himself in.

"Buckle up 'cause here we go!" he called out. The other four climbed into their seats and buckled their seatbelts. Donald hit a couple of buttons on the gummi ship's panel and the ship rumbled to life. The rockets started and the spaceship slowly started to rise off of the world's surface.

"…Wait!" Kairi called out in sudden realization.

"What's wrong, Kairi?" Sora asked in concern.

"What about our parents?" she asked.

"You don't have to worry about that." Donald replied.

"Huh?" Kairi asked.

"The King not only sent at letter to you guys, but he sent one to your parents too. It should be in their mail right now." The duck reassured her.

"It said so in his letter. That way, we didn't have to wait to leave for Radiant Garden when we got here." Goofy added.

"Huh…so the situation in Radiant Garden must be serious…" Riku muttered.

"Entering hyper speed! Hold on tight!" Donald called out to the passengers. On cue, the ship jerked and flew forward into the sky, far away from Destiny Islands. Kairi glanced out of the ship's window and gasped.

"Wow…! Look at the view…!" she breathed in awe. Sora grinned.

"Like it?" he asked.

"It's amazing!" she said, watching as the stars whizzed past.

"It won't be long now, guys. Chip an' Dale installed new engines on the ship that'll get us to Radiant Garden, extra fast!" Goofy said.

"He's right! Only about 15 more minutes now!" Donald added.

--

"They're coming. It won't be long until they arrive now."

"Let them come. They won't stop us."

"Are you sure, boss?"

"Yes…there will be no one able to bring us down. Not even that annoying gnat of a brother. We will crush them all. Now…bring me Mantis. I need to speak to him."

"Yes, boss."

--

"Approaching the destination!" Donald alerted the other passengers of the gummi ship. Sora, Riku, and Kairi glanced out the window.

"Radiant Garden should be coming up right about…now-Wak!" Donald quacked in shock and surprise.

"What the-?!" Goofy asked in fear. Sora, Riku, and Kairi all gasped. Radiant Garden looked horrible. Multiple buildings on the surface were destroyed and fires raged in the streets.

"What's going on down there?!" Sora shouted.

"I don't know, but we've gotta get down there now! Preparing to-Ah!" Donald was interrupted by his own shout of pain. He held his head in pain as a headache came over him.

"Donald, what's-Ugh! Wh-what…?" Sora asked in pain as his eyes started to water from the immense headache that had just hit him. Goofy, Riku, and Kairi suffered similar headaches as well.

_So you are the team sent to help…_

"…H-huh…?" Riku asked no one in particular through gritted teeth as the ghostly voice echoed throughout the ship.

_Pathetic… You're nothing but a group of children… The boss was right… You are no threat to us…_

"…Who is that…?" Sora asked.

_Relax… And now… Blackout!_

The voice uttered this final command and the ship panel went on the fritz. Lights blinked and the control panel flashed, until everything went dark and the gummi ship's passengers all passed out.

--

**AN**: There's your first chapter. Now, this story is only going to be a little side-project of mine that I'll update when I'm bored. Updates will follow no set schedule, so don't bug me to hurry up and write the next chapter. I'll write it when I want to. Given I've already written the next two chapters, but after that…who knows when I'll update next. Anyway, that said, let me just say that I am _never_ going to abandon this story. Through Hell or high water, this story will remain on this site. I don't care if you flame, this story is staying. Anyway…R&R!!!


	2. Chapter 2

**AN**: Alright, guys. Here's chapter two, where things start taking a turn for the serious. Things are only going to get darker and more bloody from here. I doubt this is too much for anyone reading this, because I've barely scratched the surface of the "blood/violence factor" of the Konami games, but if you are _extremely_ queasy and this chapter alone made you sick to your stomach, turn back now. It only gets worse from here on out.

**Disclaimer**: See first chapter.

--

Chapter Two

A male dark-cloaked figured dashed through a pitch black forest, with only the moon providing a ray of light. The tails of the black cloak whipped behind him as he dashed through the trees, not stopping or faltering in his step at all.

Suddenly, the figure broke through the thick gathering of trees and the soles of his black boots dug into the ground. He glanced up at the building in front of him: a large medieval-style castle guarded by a seemingly bottomless fissure. The only way of entrance to the castle was a drawbridge, which was currently up. However, as if by itself, the drawbridge lowered itself for the visitor, creaking eerily as it did.

The figure watched as the drawbridge waited open, almost taunting him to come inside. He then tilted his head back and glanced at the highest tower of the castle from under his hood. He clenched his gloved fist and stared straight ahead into the main hall of the castle. He then ran in, his boots thumping on the wood drawbridge hollowly.

--

"Riku! ...Riku, wake up!"

Riku stifled a groan as his eyelids fluttered open. The immense headache that he had experienced had settled to a dull throbbing. It didn't hurt as much, but was enough to make him wish he had few aspirin on hand.

He turned his head toward the voice that had awakened him. Kairi's worried face slowly came to focus in his line of vision. That was another thing. Everything was blurry and hard to make out.

"Kairi…wh-what happened? Who…who was that…th-that voice?" Riku muttered, his throat dry. Kairi shook her head.

"I don't know, but Sora's gone!" she shouted. That sentence alone was enough to trigger the adrenaline in Riku's body. He sat up straight, ignoring the throbbing of his head, eyes widened.

"What?!" he rasped. Not waiting for an answer from Kairi, he peered into the darkness. It was then that he noticed something. Their current position was not inside the gummi ship's cock pit. They had somehow wound up in a dungeon that was reminiscent of the Middle Ages, right down to the cold, damp stone and the metal shackles hanging off the walls.

"Where…?" Riku stopped, clearing his throat to stop the cracking of his voice. "Where are we…?"

Without waiting for an answer from Kairi, he stood and pushed off of the wall he had been leaning against. Taking a few steps forward, he laid his hand on the cold, metal bars in front of him. He glanced around, letting his eyes get used to the lack of light. From the looks of it, the bars blocked the only exit out of the small room that he and Kairi were in. And the door to the cell was locked tight.

"…Riku…?" Kairi asked him, snapping him out of his surveillance of the area.

"…We're locked in." Riku concluded, lowering his hand from the bars of their cell. He turned his head to Kairi.

"It doesn't matter though. Whoever put us here obviously doesn't know about our Keyblades. We'll be out of here in no time." the silver haired teenager informed her. He outstretched his arm in front of him with his hand opened wide and tried calling forth Way to Dawn. But after a moment…nothing happened. No blade appeared in his hand like magic, no sword materialized out of thin air, nothing. Riku stared at his palm in shock.

"What…?!" he muttered to himself in slight worry.

"Riku, what's wrong?" she asked. She knew something was not right when Riku's Keyblade hadn't appeared in a flash, and she knew Riku well enough to know that he would not hesitate in a situation like this.

"I…I can't call my Keyblade…" he muttered in shock, still not able to process the thought in his head. He turned to Kairi urgently.

"Try calling yours! There might be some kind of anti-magic field surrounding us!" Riku told her. She nodded firmly and held her arm out in front of her like Riku had just done. However, her Keyblade, Blossoming Radiance appeared in her hand in a bright flash of light. Riku's blue-green eyes widened.

"N-no…It's just me…" he muttered, now starting to feel worried about the situation. He was on an unknown world with no weapon and no way to fight. Kairi would have to defend the both of them, which would serve as a challenge for her, seeing she had less experience with a Keyblade than him.

"Riku! It's okay! We'll…we'll find an answer! But first we need to get out of here!" Kairi told him. Riku glanced at her and nodded. She was right. Getting out of the cell was their first priority. His weapon could wait until later.

"Right. Now, unlock the door so we can get out of here." he told her.

"Okay." Kairi said and held her Keyblade out at arm's length, pointing it at the lock of their cell. The Keyblade reacted, a beam of light shooting out of its tip towards the lock. The old lock glowed white for a moment until the sound of it unlocking echoed down the halls and it fell to the ground in a clatter.

"Now let's get out of here. Sora, Donald, and Goofy might be in a different cell." Riku said. He might not have had a weapon, but that didn't mean he couldn't take charge of the situation. Kairi seemed to have no problem with him taking leadership because she nodded and followed him whole-heartedly.

"Sora! Donald! Goofy!" Riku hissed into the darkness urgently. As he did so, Kairi peered into each individual cell for any sign of Sora or his two friends.

"Sor-" Riku paused as heard footsteps behind him. He and Kairi whipped around at the sound, both on their guard. Kairi had her Keyblade drawn while Riku had his fists clenched, ready to use his bare hands as his only available weapon.

"…Sora? Is that you…?" Kairi whispered tentatively. The footsteps were accompanied by a low growling, followed by a deep, ghostly moan. Riku's eyes narrowed, glaring into the darkness.

"…Something tells me that's not Sora…" he muttered, eyes flicking back and forth, waiting for a sign of movement. Kairi's grip on Blossoming Radiance tightened.

"Kairi…see if you can make a light for us." Riku whispered to her. She muttered a silent agreement back to him before casting a white magic spell, creating a small ball of light in her palm. A dull glow illuminated the area of the hallway around them and the two teens noticed the danger surrounding them.

Standing tall in front of them was a mutated bipedal wolf with blood red eyes. It had to be at least a foot and a half taller than Riku. Its dark grey fur bristled as an animalistic snarl rumbled in it throat. It got down on all fours, parted its jaws, and roared angrily. Riku and Kairi stood frozen in their tracks.

"Kairi…on my count…we run." Riku muttered to her slowly, making sure to make no sudden movement.

"Right." Kairi whispered back, breathing slowly.

"Okay…one…two…thr-" Riku was cut off by another deep moan. Riku and Kairi both glanced back over their shoulders to see five animated rotting corpses stalking towards them. Their deep black eyes were unfeeling and soulless.

"…So much for _that_ plan…" Riku growled under his breath. Kairi glanced at him out of the corner of her eye.

"What do we do now?" she whispered. Even though she held her voice steady, Riku could tell that she was scared. He could see it in her eyes.

"…I…" Riku paused. He wasn't sure. They were surrounded and Kairi was the only one with a weapon. He didn't doubt her ability with her Keyblade and magic, but there was no way she could take on all six enemies by herself. Riku's eyes darted between the enemies closing in on them as his mind whirred, desperately trying to think up a plan.

"Riku?" Kairi asked urgently with a slight tone of panic. Riku ground his teeth together. There had to be some way, any way out of this! His heart pounded and sweat rolled down his brow as the large wolf stalked towards them. Finally, it reared back on its back legs and pounced, claws outstretched and jaws opened wide, ready to tear into their flesh and rip them apart. Riku's eyes squeezed shut as he prepared for impact and pain.

However, it never came.

Riku opened his eyes to see a person in a black cloak—obviously a male—standing in front of them. He held a blade in his hands: a straight double-edged sword. The sword was currently lodged in the wolf's chest, piercing the creature straight through. The beast opened its mouth, but instead of a roar or snarl erupting from its throat, a deep gurgling noise came forth as blood poured out of its mouth, splattering on the stone floor and staining its ivory white fangs red.

The figure then quickly pulled its sword from the monster's now dead body and swiftly moved on to the zombies. He attacked the one closest to him, slicing its head and right arm off in one swift motion. The undead corpse stumbled back, and before it could have a chance to retaliate, the figure kicked it to the ground. As it writhed on the ground helplessly (splattering more blood on the ground in the process), he flipped his sword upside down and brought the tip of the blade into the zombie's chest. It stopped moving immediately; a sure sign that it was dead for good. The man turned to Riku and Kairi as he removed the sword from the corpse.

"Get back!" he commanded, reaching into his cloak. Riku wasn't sure who this man was, but he was trying to help them, which was good enough for him. He grabbed Kairi's hand and yanked her back, away from the man. The warrior pulled out a small corked glass bottle of light blue water with a single purple sphere floating in it. He threw the small vial on the ground like one would a smoke bomb.

However, instead of there being a splash of water as the glass shattered, four walls of blue flames shot out from the purple orb. The fire spread out in four straight lines in the shape of a cross. Riku pulled Kairi up against the wall by the wrist, just barely avoiding the aqua flames himself. The undead, however, weren't able to avoid the attack and they gave unholy shrieks as the flames licked their bodies before they turned into piles of smoldering ash.

Riku and Kairi's heavy breathing and pounding hearts slowly returned to normal once the fire died down. The man who had saved them kneeled down on one knee and collected his small purple crystal. Then, pulling out another vial of water (only this water was clear), he pulled off the cork with his teeth and gently splashed the water on his blade, washing away the blood. Once his sword was clean, he tossed the empty glass vial to the side and stood. He turned his head to Riku and Kairi, who immediately put their guard up.

"Are you alright?" he asked, his voice oddly soft for a warrior with his skills. Riku glanced at him warily.

"…Fine. Who are you?" the teen asked cautiously. The man removed his hood, revealing his blue-black hair, red-gold eyes, and pale skin.

"My name is Shadow. And you?" the warrior asked. Riku slowly loosened up. He seemed trustable enough, and he did just save their lives…

"…Riku. And this is Kairi." he said after a moment's pause. Shadow gave a light nod.

"I see. Riku, I noticed you are unarmed. Here." he said, holding out his blade. Riku stared at it.

"…But won't you be unarmed?" Kairi asked as Riku contemplated the offer. Shadow shook his head.

"You need not worry about me. I have many ways to fight, though it seemed you were dependant on a weapon in that battle." he replied. Riku hesitantly reached out and took the sword by its hilt. It had an easy grip and seemed light enough for him to wield. Riku glanced at Shadow.

"…Thank you." the young male said.

"You are welcome. Now come. We must leave." Shadow said as he turned to walk away.

"But wait! We still haven't found our friends! We think they may be here too! We-" Kairi was cut off.

"Your friends are not here. Now follow me. You need to get out of here." Shadow spoke calmly, though Riku could tell that he wasn't to be tested. However, Riku still wasn't sure of Shadow's trustworthiness.

"And how do you know that?" Riku asked warily.

"Please, you must trust me on this! There is no time to explain and you two are in danger here!" Shadow said urgently. Riku's grip on his new blade tightened.

"Not until-" Riku was cut off as Kairi laid her hand on his shoulder.

"Riku, maybe we should listen to him." she said, softly trying to reason with the older boy.

"But, Kairi…" Riku trailed off, hoping that she would just agree with him.

"Riku, this man just saved our _lives_. He gave you his sword. He wants to help us." Kairi said. Riku paused before sighing. Kairi was right. This man was going out of his way just to help them. Besides, if they didn't agree, they would be lost on an unknown world with no knowledge of what awaited them.

"…Fine. I trust you." Riku muttered, glancing at Shadow. The man nodded.

"Thank you. Now follow me. We must leave immediately." he said as he turned to leave. Riku and Kairi followed, making sure to stay close to him in case any other monsters appeared.

--

Meanwhile, watching the exchange from a magnificently designed throne room via a magic hologram was an extremely pale man with snow white hair and blood red eyes. He sat in the expertly crafted throne located at the very back of the room. In his hand was a wine glass filled to the brim with a thick crimson liquid. His lip curled up in disgust, revealing his unnaturally sharp canines.

"So…the shadow wants to play hero…" he muttered before taking a sip from his glass. He set it down on the arm of his throne.

"No matter." he said, and with a swift snap of his fingers, the hologram was gone and in its place, a large cloud of purplish red smoke. From the cloud arose a skeletal figure with a scythe held in its bony grip. It bowed before the man respectfully.

"Yes, master?" it asked, its voice chilling and ghostly.

"I want you to take care of that annoying shadow for me…permanently." the man hissed, his red eyes narrowing. The skeletal figure raised its head and it seemed to smirk evilly.

"With pleasure, master."

--

Shadow had led Riku and Kairi out of the dungeon and through hallways, finally stopping in what seemed to be a grand hall of some sort. At the end of the hall was an open drawbridge, leading outside into a thick forest. Shadow turned to the two teens.

"There. You must get out of here. Leave the forest. Get very far away from Eternal Night." he said.

"Eternal Night?" Kairi questioned.

"That is the name of the forest. Now go!" Shadow said.

"…Not so fast…" a ghost-like voice said, barely above a whisper. Riku held his blade out in front of him, his eyes scanning for an enemy. Kairi had also summoned her Keyblade.

"Who's there?!" he called out, adrenaline already starting to seep into his blood. Shadow's eyes narrowed, clenching his fists.

"You two. Go. Now." he muttered to them lowly. Riku and Kairi both turned to him. Riku was about to question why when a figure appeared before them, floating feet above their heads. It appeared to be a skeleton wearing a dark cloak, wielding a scythe.

"Hello…Shadow." The skeleton said, saying the name with an undertone of malice as it slowly floated to the ground.

"Riku…Kairi…go." Shadow whispered again.

"But…what about you?" Kairi asked.

"Do not worry about me. I will be fine. Just go!" he said, not taking his eyes off of the figure in front of them. Riku glanced between Shadow and the skeleton before nodding. He grabbed Kairi's wrist.

"Come on. This isn't our fight." he said. Kairi bit her lip uncertainly. Finally, she gave a hesitant nod.

"…Alright. Let's go." she said. The two teens ran past the skeleton, which made no attempt to stop them. They made their way out into the forest, leaving the other two behind.

"You will die here." the skeleton said, as if it were fact that had been set in stone.

"We will see about that." Shadow responded. He waved his hand in front of him and made a motion as if cracking a whip. As if by magic, a glowing orange whip appeared in his hand, pulsating oddly. The skeleton made a noise, as if scoffing.

"…Nothing but an imperfect copy. As are you." it said, readying its scythe for attack. Shadow's orange-red eyes flashed dangerously for a brief second as he sucked in a quick breath through gritted teeth. However, as quick as the signs of rage had come, they were gone.

"Say what you like. I've heard it all before from your master." he said before running forward, whip at the ready. The skeleton prepared to slash down on its opponent to swift end the battle, but just as Shadow was in range of its attack, he sidestepped out of the way. Taking advantage of the short moment he had to attack, Shadow managed to get a few hits in. The skeleton swiped across in an attempt to slice Shadow in half, but Shadow back-flipped out of the way. The skeleton made a sound of annoyance.

"Die!" it hissed as it twirled its scythe. As it did, six blue dots of light appeared in a circle in front of him. A beam of light shot out from each of them, aiming directly from Shadow. His eyes widened and he barely managed to dive out of the way, tumbling forward as he did.

He looked up, measuring how far he was from the open drawbridge. It wasn't that far, but the skeleton still stood between him and the outside. Shadow clenched his fist as he got into a crouching position. He allowed his rage to grow for a moment before pouncing straight at the skeleton, fire licking his body as it did. He hit his opponent head on, and the robed skeleton fell as Shadow landed only a mere foot from the outside. He stood up, the flames that had once covered his body fizzling out harmlessly.

"I'm afraid we will have to continue this battle another time, for now, I must be off." he said before running across the open drawbridge, disappearing into the thick forest. The skeleton rose and almost gave chase to the man, but he was stopped by a calm voice from behind him.

"Let him go." The skeleton turned and quickly bowed his head in shame.

"Master…I failed." it spoke pathetically as it awaited punishment. However, his master showed no signs of anger.

"Let the shadow run and hide in darkness for now. He will be back. I am sure of it." the man said, a sinister smirk on his face.

--

Shadow slowly came to a stop in front of a small wooden cottage once he was sure that the skeleton had not followed. Sitting in front of the cottage was a young man with long silver hair. His golden eyes watched Shadow carefully as he approached. Finally, he spoke.

"Well?" he asked. Shadow didn't even glance at him as he walked into the wooden cottage.

"They have been released. I told them to get far away from here. They should be safe for now." he said to the other man. The silver haired man rose and followed Shadow inside.

"And the boy?" he asked.

"He is unaware of what is happening." Shadow replied. The hinges of the door squeaked as it opened, causing Shadow and the silver haired man to turn their attention to the newcomer.

"And for protection?" a man with white-blond hair asked as he entered. His silver-white eyes were blank, a black cloth mask covering his face from the nose down.

"I have given him your blade. He has been armed, and he has enough fighting experience to hold his own against the monsters in Eternal Night until he and the girl are out of here." Shadow answered.

"I see. And you think that will be enough?" the blond asked. Shadow slowly shook his head.

"Unfortunately, no. Given the situation, the creatures of this forest are not the only danger to him. Joachim…watch over him for me." he said, directing the last sentence to the silver haired man.

"And what about you, Shadow?" he asked. Shadow paused

"…I am going back. I need to stop Mathias." he said hesitantly. The blond raised an eyebrow.

"You're leaving now?" he asked. Shadow shook his head.

"No. Not right away. I need time…before I return to that castle." the dark haired man replied slowly. He turned toward the window and glanced at the large stone castle that loomed over the forest. His eyes narrowed on the tallest tower of the castle that blocked part of the full moon.

_Mathias…_

--

**AN**: So there you have it. This chapter's pretty long compared to the next one, but there's good reason for it. Anyway, if there's anyone out there who has played "Castlevania: Lament of Innocence" and yet has no idea who Shadow is, lemme tell you this: He is _not_ an OC. Just think about it a little harder, or maybe give it a few more chapters and it'll become obvious soon enough. However, if you _do_ know who Shadow is, please don't spoil it for other readers in your review. It's just not fair. With that said…

R&R!!!


	3. Chapter 3

**AN**: Alright, guys. Now we get to see what happened to Sora, Donald, and Goofy. And this chapter is one of my favorites so far for three reasons: guns, Solid Snake, and _Metal Gear!_ …I know, I'm a Metal Gear dork, but I love those games! Even if I do suck at them.

**Disclaimer**: See first chapter.

--

Chapter Three

"Sora! You gotta wake up!"

Sora's eyes opened slowly to Donald's scratchy sounding voice. The young man sat up, groaning as he rubbed the back of his head. He could vaguely feel a lump starting to form on the back of his skull.

"Aw, man…what happened?" the brunet asked, his vision blurring lightly.

"Gawrsh, Sora, we ain't too sure ourselves!" Goofy replied, scratching the top of his head.

"We know we won't be leaving anytime soon, that's for sure…" Donald muttered, pointing to the remains of their gummi ship. The twisted burning wreckage fit in with the scene before them. Crumbling buildings lay destroyed all around, fire spread through the streets, and not a single soul was in sight. All the hard work that had been put into rebuilding Radiant Garden had been ruined. Sora gasped in realization as he noticed two members of their party that were missing.

"Riku! Kairi!" he shouted, eyes filled with horror as he stared at the burning gummi ship.

"They weren't in there, Sora. We checked." Goofy said, as he lowered his head sadly. Sora turned towards the two animals.

"You mean…?" He trailed off. Donald nodded.

"They're gone." the duck quacked. Sora clenched his fist as tears welled up in his eyes, threatening to spill.

"No…I promised them…I promised them we would go together this time…" he whispered to himself. He furiously rubbed his eyes, tears staining the back of his gloves as did so.

"This can't be happening again! I don't want to have to lose them! Not this time!" Sora shouted. Goofy laid a hand on Sora's shoulder.

"Sora, it's okay! Even if we are separated, we'll find 'em again! Just like last time!" he said. Sora sniffled, but nodded.

"Yeah…yeah, you're right!" he said, his sapphire eyes burning with determination.

"That's the spirit!" Donald cheered.

"Now, come on. Let's see if we can find Leon and the others. Maybe they can help us." Sora said. The other two nodded and followed behind Sora as he started to explore the streets, searching for any signs of life.

"…This is kinda spooky with no one else around…" Goofy muttered to Sora and Donald as they walked through the destroyed streets. The only sounds were their footsteps and the crackling of fire.

"Yeah…almost like a ghost town…" Donald agreed. The trio passed the ruins of wrecked building and (unheard by them) a light creak of metal stirred from within.

"Man, I wonder where everyone is…" Sora said to himself.

"You don't think that whoever did this got 'em all…do ya?" Goofy asked uncertainly. Donald glanced around, checking for any signs of people. As he did, a large figure appeared behind him and engulfed the trio in its shadow. Donald noticed and glanced over his shoulder. As he did his eyes widened at the sight behind him.

"Wak! G-g-guys!" the duck shouted. Sora and Goofy turned to him and then saw what had gotten him so scared. A giant bipedal robot stood behind them, easily over forty feet tall. It almost looked like a giant, metal dinosaur. It was armed with missile launchers, a rail gun, and a laser. The dinosaur-like machine let out a metallic sounding roar. Sora summoned his Keyblade.

"What the heck is that thing?!" he asked, getting into fighting position. Goofy and Donald followed suit, drawing their respective weapons.

"Ya think maybe it's some sorta Gummi Ship?" Goofy asked, hiding behind his shield. The robot gave another roar before its laser started to glow red, signaling that it was charging up. The trio noticed and their eyes widened.

"Uh-oh!" Donald yelped, voicing the thoughts of all three of them as they stared up at their impending doom. They wanted to move, but fear kept their feet rooted to the ground.

"Get down!" a harsh male voice barked at them. They all turned their heads in confusion toward the general direction the voice was coming from, but were met with the sight of a missile coming straight forward. Before they had a chance to react, a figure tackled them to the ground, out of the way of the missile, allowing it to hit the robot that had attacked them. The shot hit one of the robot's legs, causing it to become unbalanced and collapse on its side.

"Raiden, get them out of there!" the same rough voice said and Sora, Donald, and Goofy found them being assisted to their feet by a young blond haired man with light blue eyes. He was wearing some type of suit that vaguely had the same type of structure as that of the human skeleton.

"Come on!" he said. This man's voice was softer than the other man's, but just as commanding. Sora, Donald, and Goofy had no arguments, not wanting to get caught in the middle of this battle. The blond man quickly led them behind some rubble, the remains of a fallen building. As soon as they had caught their breath and their heartbeats had slowed to a normal pace, Donald was the first to speak up.

"What's going on here?!" he screeched to the blond man, who cringed slightly.

"I'll explain later! Stay here!" he said before pulling a gun off his belt and running out into the battle once more.

"Wait!" Sora called after him but to no avail. The man ignored them and crouched down behind a piece of twisted metal, probably from what was left of the crane. Meanwhile, the machine gave another metallic roar as it struggled to get up from off the ground. The missile had not completely destroyed its leg, so the robot managed to get up from its side, albeit slightly unbalanced.

"Raiden, get ready to fire!" the same gruff voice called out and the blond man, apparently named Raiden, took aim with the gun in his hand. Another missile was launched (from the roof of one of the few buildings that was still intact for the most part, Sora noted) and it hit the head of the robot. Giving a metallic creak, it collapsed forward with the top of its head smoking. After a few moments, the trio noticed a man stumble out of the smoke. Without hesitation, Raiden pulled the trigger of his gun and watched as the man collapsed.

Sora, Donald, and Goofy slowly climbed out from behind the rubble and watched warily as Raiden approached the fallen man that had came out of the robot. They shared uneasy glances as the blond knelt down beside the man who had been shot.

"Well?"

Sora, Donald, and Goofy jumped slightly at the sudden voice; the same gruff one that had been calling out to Raiden in the midst of that battle. They turned to see a man who was older that Raiden by quite a few years. He had scruffy brown hair that was held back by a dark blue headband, along with some stubble growing on his chin. His blue-gray eyes watched as Raiden examined the man. He was wearing a suit similar to Raiden's, except it was slightly more low-tech, not having a defined structure like Raiden's did. Raiden looked up and rose up from his crouching position.

"Dead before he hit the ground." the blond said. Sora almost felt his heart stop at the word 'dead', and glanced back to his two companions. By the looks on their faces, he could tell that they were just as uneasy about this situation as he was. The older brunet didn't seem to notice, or at least didn't care.

"Headshot?" he asked, and Raiden nodded in confirmation.

"Hmm…not bad. Your aim's getting better." he muttered before glancing at Sora, Donald, and Goofy. The two animals yelped slightly and cowered behind Sora, hiding from the man's gaze.

"You three Sora, Donald, and Goofy?" he asked. Sora studied his face. Although he wasn't giving off and friendly vibes, something told him that this man wasn't going to hurt them. After he established that fact in his mind, he nodded.

"Yeah. I'm Sora, the duck is Donald, and this is Goofy." Sora introduced, pointing to each of his friends respectively. Then he turned back to the man.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"Snake. That's Raiden. Now come on." the man said, motioning for them to follow. Donald crossed his arms and starting tapping his webbed foot on the ground.

"And why should we?" the duck asked impatiently. Snake shot the duck a glare, immediately causing the bird to give a scared quack and ducking behind Sora again.

"You're friends with the Restoration Committee, aren't you?" Raiden asked. Sora's eyes widened.

"You mean Leon and the others? You know where they are? Are they hurt?" the brunet boy asked, not knowing whether to be worried or relieved.

"Relax, kid. They're all in one piece. They're hiding out in the mountains. That's the one place the terrorists haven't taken over yet." Snake replied, pointing towards the blue cliffs on the outskirts of town.

"Terrorists?" Goofy asked, slightly scared.

"Yeah. Listen, there's no time to explain here. Just follow us and we'll take you to your friends. We can explain everything there." Snake told them. Sora, Donald, and Goofy nodded and followed Snake and Raiden as they walked into a nearby alleyway, unaware of the white, disk-like robot that had been watching them. It hovered a few feet off the ground as the green light on its camera blinked. Then it flew off, towards the castle that overlooked Radiant Garden.

--

**AN**: I know this chapter was kind of short, but the next one makes up for it with loads of explainations for anybody who's never played a "Metal Gear" game. However, if you haven't, I recommend you do, because they are great games with in depth plots, great game play, and pretty sick graphics if you note what time period they came out in. Anyway…R&R!!!


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: **Alright, now this chapter is mostly just boring filler/explanation crap for those of you who have never played a Metal Gear Solid game. The actual mission will start not next chapter, but the chapter after that. Don't worry; the action is coming up soon.

**Disclaimer:** See first chapter.

* * *

Chapter Four

Sora, Donald, and Goofy struggled to keep up with Raiden and Snake as they scaled the blue cliffs on the outskirts of Radiant Garden. The older men seemed to have no problems, climbing the rock face with ease. Donald grumbled as he pulled himself up onto a small ledge.

"How much longer 'til we get to this hideout?" the small duck asked, clearly irritated with Snake and Raiden.

"We're almost there. Now stop complaining and get a move on." Snake snarled, shooting a glare over his shoulder. The duck gave a silent yelp before quickly scrambling up the mountain.

Sora grunted and his arms shook as he tried to pull himself up onto a ledge. He slowly opened one eye that had been clenched shut only to be met with the sight of a pair of boots. He looked up to see Raiden standing on the ledge before him, holding a hand out.

"Need some help?" the blond man offered, and Sora grabbed his outstretched hand with some difficulty. Raiden pulled Sora up onto the ledge with little effort and the young brunet glanced around.

"Why are we stopping?" he asked in confusion. There was no sign of any sort of hideout anywhere around them. Donald and Goofy pulled themselves up and noticed that simple fact as well.

"Hey, what's the big idea?" Donald asked with his hands on his hips.

"Quiet down. We're here." Snake told them as he crouched down in front of the rock face.

"Huh? Look!" Goofy said and he pointed to a crawl space that led to the interior of the cliff that Snake was crouched in front of.

"A long time ago, these old cliffs used to have volcanic activity in them. Because of that, there are spaces where the center of the cliff is hollowed out. This crawl space used to be one of the volcanic tubes that led to the surface. It leads straight into an empty pocket in the middle of the cliff. That's where your friends are hiding out." Raiden explained. Snake nodded.

"Yep. Now come on. You wanna leave your friends waiting?" the older man asked before slipping into the crawl space and disappearing into the darkness. Raiden followed suit. Sora glanced at his companions.

"Well…I guess we better follow 'em." the young boy said. Donald and Goofy nodded and Sora crawled through the hole with Donald and Goofy following close behind. The hole was dark and Sora could barely see two inches in front of him, but after a few minutes of crawling he noticed a dim light. Crawling slightly faster, Sora wiggled his way out of the hole and found himself in a sort of cave. Lighting the darkness were floating fires lining the walls, probably created by magic. Donald and Goofy then also popped out of the hole and stared at the cave in wonder.

"Wow…" Donald muttered and Goofy nodded in agreement.

"Hmm? Sora, my boy! And Donald and Goofy too! Is that really you?" Sora, along with Donald and Goofy, glanced towards the voice and grinned.

"Merlin!" the boy called out, feeling a wave of relief wash over him with knowing that one of his friends was alive. Merlin smiled under his beard as he took a few steps closer.

"There's no doubt about it! It is you!" the old wizard said.

"Where's the rest a' the Committee, Merlin?" Goofy asked. Merlin nodded.

"Ah, yes. Mustn't forget about them. They will be happy to see you as well! Mr. Emmerich has also been showing some interest in meeting you as well, after all the stories he's been told." he told them. Sora tilted his head to the side in confusion.

"Mr.…Emmerich?" he questioned. It was then that Snake spoke up.

"Friend of mine. He's here too." the older brunet said. Donald kept himself from trembling, fearing that Snake's friend was just as intimidating as Snake himself.

"Well, then, let's go meet 'im!" Goofy said cheerfully with a grin plastered on his face. Snake nodded before turning to Merlin.

"Come on. Let's go tell everyone that the kid's here." he said.

"Of course." Merlin replied, leading everyone off deeper into the cave. The group followed behind. Sora glanced around the cave as they went in deeper. The torches seemed to get brighter the deeper they went into the cave and frightened townspeople stayed over to the side, sharing nervous glances as the group went past.

"How deep does this thing go?" Sora asked out loud.

"Not sure exactly, but I'd say about…100 meters. Maybe more, maybe less." Raiden replied. As they walked further, Sora, Donald, and Goofy started to hear familiar voices and the spiky brunet's eyes widened.

"…Guys…?" he murmured to himself softly before running ahead of the group, surprising Donald and Goofy.

"Sora?" they both questioned before running after him. Snake crossed his arms across his chest.

"Hmph. That kid's way too hyper for his own good…" he muttered. Merlin nodded, smiling slightly.

"Yes, that would be Sora." the bearded man replied.

"…Kind of makes me wonder how prepared he'll be for the mission." Raiden said.

"If he isn't ready by the time we start the infiltration, he'll be sure to grow up on the battlefield. They all do." Snake replied, glancing at the blond. Raiden's eyes darkened slightly before turning his head down towards the ground, away from Snake's gaze. Meanwhile, Sora had run forward just to be met with the sight of the Restoration Committee, all alive, although looking battered and beaten, covered in dirt and grime, along with some crusted blood from a few minor wounds. The major wounds they had taken were wrapped in bandages.

"Guys! You…you're all okay!" Sora said, feeling as if a huge pressure had been removed from his chest.

"Sora! Donald! Goofy!" Aerith said in slight surprise, still managing to smile despite the situation they were in. Leon smirked slightly.

"So…you finally made it." the man muttered, closing his eyes.

"Hmm…so you're the infamous Sora." a man said, tapping his chin in thought. Sora turned to him, his sapphire eyes blinking in confusion. The man had dark grey hair and blue eyes hidden behind a pair of glasses. He wore a white lab coat over top of a blue shirt along with a pair of blue pants.

"Huh? You must be Mr. Emmerich!" Sora said. The man smiled and gave a light chuckle.

"Please. Call me Otacon." the man replied. Donald studied him carefully.

"So…you're Snake's friend?" he questioned slowly. Otacon nodded.

"That's right." he confirmed. Donald let out a short breath of relief. This guy didn't seem so bad…nowhere near as intimidating as Snake.

"How…how did all this happen? Just a few months ago this place was so peaceful, and now…" Sora trailed off, not quite sure how to finish that sentence.

"I think it's best if Snake explains that one." Raiden said, approaching the group from behind, along with Snake and Merlin. Snake glanced at Sora, his grey blue eyes narrowed.

"You remember the thing that attacked you back in town? The giant robot?" he asked. Sora rubbed the back of his head.

"How could we forget…?" the young boy asked, glancing over his shoulder at Donald and Goofy.

"Right. That thing is called a Metal Gear. A Metal Gear-REX model, to be exact." Snake explained.

"Metal…Gear?" Sora muttered in confusion. Goofy tapped his chin with his finger.

"Well…what exactly is a 'Metal Gear'?" the lanky dog asked.

"I can answer that one. A Metal Gear is a bipedal nuclear tank. It was created to serve as a link between man and machine on the battlefields of war: men are mobile yet their weapons aren't as effective as people would like, and machines such as tanks are packed with heavy artillery but lack the mobility that soldiers have. A Metal Gear combines both of these factors, being equipped with nuclear weapons and being able to traverse large distances even better than humans can." Otacon explained.

"So you're saying that someone brought a Metal Gear here to attack Radiant Garden?" Sora asked. Donald crossed his arms.

"But you and Raiden already took down the Metal Gear, so what's the problem?" the duck asked.

"The problem is that the invaders didn't bring just _one_ Metal Gear." Cloud spoke up from his spot against the wall.

"He's right. The terrorists brought an army with them. An army of Metal Gears and man alike." Raiden said.

"But…who? Who are these terrorists?" Sora asked.

"They're a group called 'The Sons of Big Boss'. There's six of them that are in charge of the whole army: Psycho Mantis, Sniper Wolf, Decoy Octopus, Vulcan Raven, Revolver Ocelot, and then the one in charge of the whole group…Liquid Snake." Snake said, muttering the last name with distaste.

"Wait…Liquid Snake? But aren't _you_ Snake?" Sora asked in mild confusion.

"'Snake' is only a codename. His is 'Liquid Snake', mine is 'Solid Snake'." Snake replied. Sora nodded in understanding.

"Oh. I get it. But…why? Why would the terrorists attack here?" he asked. Raiden shrugged.

"Even we don't know the answer to that one yet. But we are aware of their plans." the blond said.

"They're planning on manufacturing a Metal Gear to surpass all Metal Gears…Arsenal Gear." Otacon said. Sora, Donald, and Goofy gasped and shared looks of shock.

"Wait! These guys are making _another_ Metal Gear? One stronger then the army they already have?" Donald quacked, eyes wide.

"That's right. We got a tip saying that it's already in the process of being made." Snake said.

"A tip? From who?" Sora asked. Snake shook his head.

"Didn't say. But it's the only info we've got to go off of, so we've got no choice but to trust them." the brunet man replied.

"Gawrsh, what're we gonna do?" Goofy asked, eyes filled with fear.

"Between Otacon, Snake, and I, we've managed to form a plan. And it involves you three." Raiden said. Sora, Donald, and Goofy nodded determinately as they stood, ready to listen.

"According to the tip we got, Arsenal Gear is being made underneath the castle. Arsenal Gear is being made using programming that's been installed in the computer they have down there." Snake stated.

"Wait. You mean…Ansem's computer?" Sora question.

"Yep. What we need to do is infiltrate the castle and neutralize the program that's making Arsenal Gear." the brunet soldier replied. Sora grinned slightly.

"Is that all? No problem!" he said. Raiden shook his head.

"Not exactly. To destroy the program, we need an anti-virus. One that can destroy the virus programming that's creating Arsenal Gear. The only problem being, we have no idea what the anti-virus is." he said.

"That's not to say that the anti-virus hasn't been created yet; it just means that we don't have the anti-virus in our possession. In fact, according to our tip, the anti-virus does already exist, but it's located somewhere in the castle. Where, though, we aren't sure." Otacon added.

"So lemme see if I understand so far…we're going to infiltrate the castle, find the anti-virus, and then use it to stop the program from finishing Arsenal Gear? Is that right?" Sora asked.

"Not only that, but we need to eradicate the terrorists. Letting them escape would be too dangerous. There's also the possibility of Arsenal Gear being finished before we can install the anti-virus. If that happens, then we need to destroy at all costs." Snake replied. The trio nodded in understanding.

"Now, Raiden and Otacon are going to stay here with the Restoration Committee, just in case of any issues coming up. You three are coming with me to infiltrate the castle and stop Arsenal Gear. But first…about your weapon, kid…" Snake trailed off, glancing at Sora. The brunet boy tilted his head in confusion and summoned his Kingdom Key.

"Yeah, what about it?" he asked.

"You're gonna need a new one." Snake said bluntly. Sora's eyes widened.

"What? Why?" he asked. Snake sighed.

"Listen, kid. You aren't going up against the darkness in people's hearts this time. You're going against living human beings. The worst your key is gonna do is give the terrorists a concussion." he said. Sora's heart sunk in realization.

"You…you aren't saying…" he muttered in disbelief. Snake grumbled, rubbing the back of his neck uncertainly.

"I normally wouldn't be telling a kid like you to do this but…you need to leave the key behind and take up a gun. It's the only way you'll be able to fulfill the mission." the brunet warrior said lowly. Sora gulped as he felt his hands shaking. Donald and Goofy shared looks of disbelief.

"…Are you sayin' you want Sora ta…ta kill…?" Goofy whispered, shaking at the mere thought.

"Snake's right, you guys. It's the only way to stop the terrorists' army." Yuffie said, trying to get them to understand. Donald clenched his fist and growled.

"No! There's no way! Sora would never-"

"…I'll do it." Sora spoke slowly, cutting off Donald. The two animals glanced at Sora in shock, never thinking that he would agree to such a thing.

"…B-but Sora…" Goofy tried to reason with the boy.

"They're right. The only way to stop these guys is to…kill them. And if that's what I have to do to save my friends, then fine. I won't like it, but…" Sora stopped, sighing as his closed his eyes and lowered his head.

"That's a good thing, kid."

Sora glanced up and looked at Snake, who had a far-off expression on his face. His gray-blue eyes had softened, and they reflected a look of aloofness. Sora made a small noise of questioning.

"No one should enjoy the killing. I'm not asking you to like it, but sometimes…there's just some people out there who need to be stopped. People who do enjoy the bloodshed and pain that they bring upon others. Those kinds of people can only be detained by death." Snake said. Without another word, he brushed past Otacon and over to a couple cases and some sort of electronics that Sora hadn't noticed before. The brunet teen watched as Snake opened one of the cases with a light '_click!_' and pulled out a gun of some kind. He then reached over got a piece of the electronics equipment. Once he was finished, he walked back over to Sora and placed the two items in the boy's hands. Sora started at them in slight confusion.

The weapon that Snake had given him was a gun. Although being lightweight, it was slightly bulky looking, with a large grip and long trigger. The weapon felt foreign in his grip, never having held a real gun in his hands before.

The other item was a communication device of some sort, Sora guessed. It was a leather strap with something that looked like a speaker or microphone attached that could be fastened with Velcro. Attached to the microphone was a wire that had a bud earphone attached to the end of it, along with another wire attached to some kind of tuning device, looking like a black box with a small screen an two knobs on it.

"Your gun is a Mk.23 SOCOM. It's got a Laser Aiming Module built in, along with an O-shaped ring around the barrel to prevent it from wobbling. Not only that, but it's lightweight and easy to use when taking out lone targets. The only problem is that we don't have a suppressor for it, meaning if you fire it before we find you one, it'll make a noise loud enough to tip off any guards nearby." Snake explained, sounding like an expert in the field of handguns.

"Okay, but what's this other thing?" Sora asked, referring to the device in his hand.

"That's a Codec, and it'll serve as you communication device for the rest of the mission. The strap is fastened around your neck and the frequency tuner¾that's the little black box¾is placed somewhere on your person that feels comfortable enough, seeing as you may need to change frequencies often. When you need to make a call, just adjust the frequency to the one you need to call using the right knob and then turn the Codec on with the left knob. When someone calls you, the Codec will beep, stimulating the small bones of your ear. No one but you will hear it. To answer a call on the Codec, just switch the frequency to 000.00 and turn the Codec on. We'll be using the Codec to keep in touch with each other in case you need any information. My frequency is 141.12." Otacon explained. Sora slowly nodded, not really understanding all the technical stuff, but understanding the basics of how it worked.

"Alright, kid. You ready?" Snake asked Sora.

"Hey! Wait a minute! What about us?" Donald shouted angrily, but he was quickly silenced by Snake's unnerving glance.

"You two are free to come along, but you'll need to stay out of sight. Nothing'll tip off the enemy more than a bipedal duck and dog. Plus, we don't have any weapons left over for you. So if you think you can handle it, I'm not stopping you." Snake said.

"Well, weapon or not, I'm not gonna let Sora go off and do somethin' as dangerous as this by himself. I'm comin' with ya! What about you, Donald?" Goofy asked, turning the small duck. He shivered slightly, still slightly scared of Snake, but then shook it off and nodded.

"Yeah! I'm coming too!" he shouted determinately.

"Then you'll need Codecs of your own. The Codec is also capable of three-way conversations, so you'll all be able to communicate with each other if you happen to get separated during the mission." Otacon said before retrieving two more Codecs for Donald and Goofy.

"Now, in case you do get separated, Snake's Codec has a frequency of 102.11, Sora's Codec has a frequency of 140.48, Donald's Codec has a frequency of 140.96, and Goofy's Codec has a frequency of 141.52." Otacon informed them.

"Got it." Sora said with a nod.

"We're all familiar with the plan?" Snake asked one last time. The trio nodded.

"Alright then. We're wasting time standing around talking. Let's go." he said before turning and walking off towards the crawl space at the end of the cave, with Sora, Donald, and Goofy following. Raiden watched them leave before sighing.

_Good luck you guys…you're gonna need it._

**AN:** Okay, boring filler/explanation crap is over. However, I guess you could say that there was a little bit of character fleshing out in that chapter, so I suppose it wasn't a complete waste of time. Also, to those of you who have played a Metal Gear Solid game, you'll notice that I'm sort of mixing the plot of MGS1 and MGS2. That's just to keep everybody on their toes with a healthy dose of plot-twists.

R&R!


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: **Alright, guys. This chapter is where the blood starts coming in. It's still not M-rated gore material yet, so the rating's not getting changed, I just thought I'd give you a fair warning. The main adventure for neither groups has started just yet, but the Sora/Donald/Goofy/Snake group's adventure starts next chapter. So just hang tight guys.

**Disclaimer:** See first chapter.

Chapter Five

_I just came to gawk at the man crazy enough to come here._

_Not worth mentioning: I owe him…_

_Come back anytime. I can be of some help to you._

Shadow sucked in a quick breath and clenched his eyes shut as pain pulsed though his forehead. He quickly brought a hand up to his face and began massaging his temples. He moved towards the door swiftly, desperate to get the aching pain out of his head. He forced the door open and stepped out into the cool night with a light breeze blowing across his face. Shadow stepped off of the wooden porch and the pain dulled before disappearing completely. He let out a sigh of relief.

"Are you going already…?"

Shadow winced as that line reached his ears and he felt his muscles tense slightly. He turned his head to see his white-blond haired companion leaning up against a nearby tree, his silver-blue eyes watching him blankly. Shadow slowly relaxed.

"Yes. I must. Joachim has already left and I cannot waste anymore time here. And…this place…it holds far too many memories…" Shadow muttered as he looked back at the cottage, and no sooner than he had said that line had he regretted it. He quickly turned back to the other man.

"Null, forgive me. I had forgotten about your condition. I did not mean to-" Shadow was cut off as Null held a single gloved hand.

"You don't need to apologize. It isn't your fault. Now go. You yourself said you couldn't stay here any longer." the man, named Null, said. Shadow gave a hesitant nod.

"Right. I trust you will be safe here by yourself?" he asked and Null gave a brief nod.

"Of course. I wish you luck, Shadow." he said, and with no more words shared, Shadow left, disappearing into the darkness. Eternal Night was not unfamiliar territory to him. He had lived in the forest for years, having grown accustomed to the territory and the never-ending darkness, along with the variety of monsters that roamed the area. As he walked past trees and bushes, twigs crunching under his boots, a snarl erupted from behind him. Shadow whipped around, only to see no monsters or threats behind him. His bright eyes slowly glanced around, knowing that a sound like that was not one that you imagined. However, before he could even draw a weapon, he was ambushed from the side.

His attacker was a large wolf, as black as darkness itself. The creature blended in with its surroundings perfectly; in fact the only signs that it was there was the weight that was pushing down of Shadow's chest, the snarling maw with drool coating its teeth, and the golden pupil less eyes that seemed to bore into his very soul. The beast was strong, but Shadow was also no weakling. He grabbed the wolf by its neck, not tight enough to choke it, but just strong enough to keep its jaws away from him. Then he kicked the large canine off with enough force to send it flying back into a tree.

The wolf slammed against the trunk of the oak with its side, causing a sickening crack to ring in Shadow's ears. As he rose from the ground, he drew a dagger from his belt and held his left hand out in front of him. He carefully approached the wolf, which was slumped on the ground. However, it slowly shifted on the ground, trying to bring itself back up onto all fours. It gave a pained whimper as soon as it put weight on the leg that had gotten slammed into the tree. Golden eyes glared up at Shadow before the hound tilted its head back and howled.

Shadow was well aware what that howl signaled and he was quick to silence canine, driving his dagger into its back right between the shoulder blades at the base of its neck. The black wolf's fur stained red around the wound and its head slumped to the ground, rolling to the side with the anger in its eyes now faded, but the deed was already done. Two more snarls erupted from the darkness and Shadow grit his teeth in irritation.

Two more wolves stalked out of the darkness, but they were not Shadow Wolves as the other one had been. The first was a dark gray dog covered in golden tribal markings that glowed in the moonlight. Its eyes were similar to the Shadow Wolf's: the same color and the same rage burning in them. The other wolf's pelt, however, was a more smoky gray color with a crimson underbelly and paws. Unlike the other wolves, its eyes were a deep red. Shadow tightened his grip on his dagger.

_A Hellhound and a Fenrir, eh? Hmph, I was expecting more…_, the man thought. Noticing its opponent was distracted, the Fenrir lunged at him, jaws parted and claws outstretched, ready to dig into its prey. Shadow side-stepped, and before the Fenrir could hit the ground, he grabbed it by its back paw. The Fenrir yelped in surprise as it was tossed aside. It tumbled on the ground, but slowly pulled itself upright, red eyes flashing dangerously as it bared its teeth. Shadow's grip tightened on his dagger, but soon realized his fatal mistake.

He had forgotten about the Hellhound.

The gray and gold beast parted its jaws and a stream of orange flames erupted from its mouth, aimed directly at Shadow. The man quickly brought up his left hand to his face in an attempt to block the fire with his gauntlet, but the force alone was enough to send him flying back. He felt himself hit the ground hard and his blade fly from his hand, and before he even had a chance to reorient himself, the dogs were on him.

The Fenrir was first to attack. It pounced on him, pinning him down with its weight. It bared its fangs, saliva dribbling down its muzzle and onto Shadow's chest. He tried to move his arm, but the Fenrir's heavy paws on his shoulders prevented him from doing so. Shadow glanced around, trying to find some way out of this situation before the beast ripped his throat out. His eyes settled on the Fenrir's strong red paw that held his right shoulder down and Shadow did the first thing that came to mind.

He lashed out and sunk his teeth into the wolf's leg.

The Fenrir howled in pain and immediately recoiled. Shadow released it from his mouth's grip and took this opportunity to uppercut the canine in the jaw. As he did, he could feel the Fenrir's jaw break as well as hear the crunch of its bone. The beast managed a slurred whine of pain before Shadow silenced it with a strong roundhouse kick to the temple. The animal said no more as blood gushed from the wound created from the force Shadow's kick. Its skull had cracked, showed by the fact that bits of gray matter, brain tissue, and bone stuck out of the wound.

Without a moment's hesitation, Shadow dove for his dagger. The Hellhound, enraged at the fact that its companion had been taken down, pounced on Shadow's back. The man winced as he felt his blade cut through his own glove and slice his skin. He reached up to his back and grabbed the beast by the scuff of its neck. Quickly he ripped it off top of him and threw it onto the ground. Before the Hellhound could even move, Shadow brought his dagger into the beast's chest, between two of its ribs.

The dog cried out in pain, but Shadow didn't spare it any mercy. He knew that he hadn't struck it in the heart and that if he pulled the blade out now, it would only suffer until its blood drained.

That wouldn't do.

Shadow twisted the dagger it the Hellhound's chest causing it to howl is agony, followed by a series of pathetic whimpers. Shadow knew that it was begging him to stop; to spare it, but he couldn't do that. Instead, he shifted his grip on the blade and drove the blade up under its ribs. The dog was now barking, whimpering, whining, shrieking, crying, and any other noise a dog could possibly make. It was then that Shadow finally decided to put the canine out of its misery by ripping the blade out (none too gently) and slitting its throat.

Blood flowed out of its chest and neck, staining the grass a deep crimson. Slowly, Shadow rose from the dead Hellhound's body and sneered.

"Traitorous bastards." he snarled in distaste, wiping his blade clean on his black cloak. Shadow then heard a scoff behind him.

_As if you are one to talk._

Shadow's eyes widened as slowly turned his head to glance over his shoulder. Behind him stood none other than…himself. The only differences were that this Shadow seemed slightly younger and he was completely dark, as if he were a _literal _shadow.

"What are you talking about?" the real Shadow demanded, golden-red eyes narrowed. His shadow laughed cruelly, a sinister smirk on his face.

_You claim that these lesser beings betray their lord, but you have done just the same. You forget where you came from, Shadow-_, he started but Shadow cut him off angrily.

"I have forgotten nothing! I know exactly who I've pledged my allegiance to!" the man snarled. The shadow glared at him.

_Oh, really? Then why do you fight with the men that defied your lord?_, the shadow asked. Shadow seemed slightly taken aback.

"What…what do you mean?" he asked slowly.

_Have you forgotten already? Joachim tried to __overthrow__ Lord Bernhard! And yet you side with him as if committed no crime! And the hunter that roams this land is the descendant of the one that struck our lord down! Yet you let him live despite the blood that flows through his veins!_, the shadow roared.

"I let them live because we share the same cause! We all want Mathias killed!" Shadow defended. His shadow scoffed.

_If you wanted to, you could strike Mathias down by yourself._, he said, and Shadow went silent. Seeing that Shadow was not going to respond, he continued.

_You and I both know the reason why you let them live. It is not because of Mathias. It is because that is what __Leon__ would have done._, the shadow said spitting out the name 'Leon' as if it were a curse. Shadow felt something inside of him spark at the name, but he couldn't place if it was anger or respect. Slowly, he glanced at his blood-stained glove as the red liquid still flowed out of the cut he had received.

_You will never become him, so why try? You are not meant to be the holy warrior he was. You were born from darkness and in darkness you will stay. Embrace that fact and will be able to take down Mathias with your own two hands._, the shadow continued. Shadow slowly clenched his fist and blood dripped from his hand to the ground.

"Leave. Now." he muttered, closing his eyes.

_You cannot escape me so easily, Shadow! We are the same! We are one!_, the shadow insisted.

"I said leave! Now go before I must make you!" Shadow snarled, eyes burning with hatred. The shadow smirked.

_Very well. But know this: Attempting to become who you are not will not bring Lord Bernhard back._

With those final words, the shadow disappeared, leaving Shadow to himself. He glanced around the battlefield that was stained with dark blood, scanning the corpses of the Fenrir, Hellhound, and Shadow Wolf. Then he looked at his own bloody hand, which was a slightly more human shade of crimson. His shadow's voice echoed in his head:

'_You were born from the darkness and in darkness you will stay…'_

"Just…who am I fighting for? Myself? My master? Leon?" he asked no one in particular with a defeated sigh. Finally he glared at the sky in determination.

"Well, one thing is for certain. I will never turn back again."

**AN:** Now, this probably just looks like boring filler, but trust me: it's not. This is important character development/foreshadowing for the Riku/Kairi adventure that will come into the story later. It may not seem like much now, but you'll see later. Also, it gave a little more hint into who Shadow really is, if you haven't figured it out yet. Also, that last line was a bit of an allusion to the "Shadow the Hedgehog" ending theme, _Never Turn Back_ by Crush 40.

R&R!


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